


One Day, Three Autumns

by SteveTrevorsStarship



Series: Path of Least Resistance [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, I'll add more tags later, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, M/M, fat chance, haha maybe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveTrevorsStarship/pseuds/SteveTrevorsStarship
Summary: Edward Elric is the Avatar and the last hope against the Fire Nation in a world at war.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Series: Path of Least Resistance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789513
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> so. 
> 
> i decided to just make one fic with all this shit, and I might rewrite that one fic with the sun warriors and put it into this fic. idk tho yet, might not fit. 
> 
> that being said- have fun reading and I hope you enjoy! My writing is decent at best, so please tell me what you think of it and feel free to suggest any ideas or anything else. 
> 
> Much love to everyone out there!

Ed has always known he was the Avatar. 

According to tradition, he was supposed to find out when he was 16. 

It didn’t work out that way. His father had been an Earthbender and the Elric Brothers had both been Earthbenders at birth. They had lived in the outskirts of Ba Sing Se with their mother– 

Their mother, a Waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe. 

Al had never developed the Waterbending gift, obviously enough, but Ed had been playing with the water since he was a kid. Because he never did it in front of anybody except his mother, who preferred to act as a non-bender, nobody really knew– not even his dad, who had left too early on to see his bending. 

He hadn’t been tested with the toys like other Avatars because he had been born in the Water Tribe and then moved to the Earth Kingdom. The next predicted Avatar was to be an Earthbender at birth; there was no reason to test a baby born in the Northern Water Tribe.

So, yeah. He’d always known he was the Avatar, even when no one else did. He’d always known he would be a bit different, had always heard about the stories of Olivier and the other Avatars. 

What he  _ hadn’t  _ known was that he was to be involved in the Fire Nation’s war against the Earth Kingdom at ten years old. 

. . .

“Hey,” his mother said, leaning next to him and cradling a gentle hand to his face, “We’re going to be okay, Edward. We just have to leave for a little while and take Winry with us.”

“I don’t get it though. Why is the Water tribe safer?” 

“Because they’re not going to be looking for the Avatar in the Water Tribe, dearie. Go on, now, and help your brother with those bags.” 

“We’ll be fine without his help, Ms. Trisha!” Winry exclaims. “He’s too short to do anything anyway.”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT, YOU BLONDE-HEADED NERD WITHOUT A BRAIN–” 

. . .

“Where did you find transportation to the Water Tribe anyways, mom?” Al asks as he helps her roast the chicken over a makeshift fire. 

“Well, I used to live there, and they said they were willing to help us out.” 

Al looks down at the chicken and turns it over. When he speaks up, it’s quiet, almost nervous. 

“Did you tell them?” he asks. “About Ed?”

“No,” His mother immediately replies. “I haven’t, and none of you should. If they ask, Ed is an untrained Waterbender.”

“Why not?” Ed pipes up. “Also, when’s dinner done? I’m hungry.” 

Her lip tightens and her smile is sad. Al doesn’t like it, doesn’t like seeing his mom so sad. “If they had the same power the Fire Nation had, they would be warmongers just like them. Every nation is like that; it’s better not to hand them someone as powerful as you, Edward.” She looks down at the chicken and her smile becomes more natural. “Besides, they would never be able to feed you long enough to keep you around.” 

Ed nods wisely. “That’s true.” Al and Winry laugh at him and their mother shakes her head fondly. 

. . .

“Hey, Ed?” Winry asks one night. It’s mostly quiet out save for the few crewmembers running the ship, and the stars are shining bright in the sky. 

“Yeah?” Ed responds. 

“Do you think my parents are going to come back? That we’re going to be able to go home?” 

“I think,” Ed says slowly, “that your parents are like my mom. They’re strong and they love you. They would do anything for you, including coming back.”

“Will they, though?” Winry asks, a choked sob escaping her mouth. “I miss them.”

There’s a moment of silence where Winry imagines him closing his eyes to the pain of being cast away in the middle of a war. Then he says, “I don’t know, Winry. I don’t know.” 

She wishes he knew. He’s the Avatar, isn’t he? Isn’t he supposed to  _ know _ ?

She cries harder against her pillow because he’s not the  _ Avatar,  _ he’s her brother and her best friend and she loves him. She cries because he’s just a kid and there’s no one left to help them except Trisha, and someday she’s going to have to leave just like her parents, and– 

She feels an elbow poke into her side before two golden eyes appear in her blurry vision. “It’ll be okay, Win,” Al says, “We’ve got each other.” 

“Yup,” She hears Ed say as he scooches closer to her in the dark. “Unless you call me short. If you call me short, which I’m not, I’ll throw you off this boat.” 

Winry’s laugh is strained, but it’s there. 

They fall asleep like that, three kids pressed together against the dark. 

. . . 

“He’s a Waterbender,” Trisha says to her father when they arrive. He’s taken her aside to talk to her after their long journey, but she isn’t in the mood for small talk. “Ed is. Al is an Earthbender, like his father, but Ed is a Waterbender. Train him, please.” 

“Trish, wait, stop,” he grabs her wrist as she turns away and she glares at him with the ferocity of a thousand suns. Anger is not an Elric trait in how common it is, but is when it comes to how fierce it is. 

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ touch me,” she growls. “I came back for the protection of my children, and because I know they will massacre the Earthbenders to find the Avatar. I am no longer your daughter, and you have no right to put your hands on me. Take care of my sons and if you or this tribe  _ ever  _ tries to pull the sexist bullshit on Winry as you did me, I will personally make certain you never see your grandsons or anything else ever again.” 

“Trish,” he says, warm brown eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry, I miss you, I’m  _ sorry _ .”

“Prove it,” Trisha says. Her voice does not waver. “Take care of my sons and my daughter.” 

. . .

“Y’know,” Winry tells Ed’s grandma, “I don’t know anything about Water healing or whatever it’s called, but my parents are doctors. They ran a little practice in Ba Sing Se. I’ve seen some stuff, and I know a lot about patching people up because I kept it going for minor cases even after they left.” 

Nakia, as she prefers to be called, nods thoughtfully. “We could put you in the healing hut and see if you can take any of their treatments and make it so non-benders can use them. They could also learn a thing or two from you, I think.” 

Winry smirks. “I’ll teach them how to live a little. I wish I could Waterbend to show them they can do whatever the heck they want with their powers.” 

Nakia laughs. “I think you’ll fit in great there.” 

. . .

Ed slips into his pose, raises the water with his hand, and– 

Drops it. 

He lets his head hang low. 

“You are, without a doubt, the worst Waterbender I have ever seen,” his teacher and grandfather, Malin, says. 

“Thanks,” Ed responds sourly. 

“You’re welcome. You have the form down right, it’s just the mentality.” He walks up to Ed and knocks lightly on his head. “Come on, I want to show you something.” 

So Ed follows him to a cave, expecting another boring lesson. Instead, he finds the only bendable Earth for miles and the most peaceful feeling he’s ever encountered. 

“Wow.”

“That about sums it up,” Malin says. “This is the Spirit Oasis, as well as Olivier Armstrong’s favorite place to meditate.” 

“Wait a minute– wasn’t she the Avatar? Did you know her?” 

“Your grandmother knew her better than I did, and your mother and her got along well.” 

“Oh.” 

“That’s not why we’re here, though. Look at this pond here– what do you see?” 

Ed blinks, confused. “Uh, fish.” 

“No. Well, yes, but no. See, these two represent balance. One is of the sun and the other is of the moon. Complete opposites, and yet, they get along so well. Do you know why?” 

Ed leans down to the water to stick his hand in the water. The white fish swims closer to him, nuzzling against his hand, before continuing on its path. “Because it’s all connected,” he says softly as he pulls his hand out of the water. 

“Yes,” Malin says, sounding almost proud. “Being raised in the Earth kingdom meant you didn’t get to see what water really is. But that’s okay because when you get down to it, water and earth and air and fire are all connected. In some ways, they are the same, and in some ways they are different.” 

And for the first time, Ed  _ gets  _ what Malin is saying. Sure, water is kinda flowy for his taste, but at the bottom of every ocean is a floor and at the end of every water cycle rain meets the earth. 

“Would you like to go outside and try the move again?” Malin asks.

Ed nods. 

. . . 

It’s good for four years. They’re not complete, and they’re a broken family. It’s not the best, but at least it’s  _ good.  _

Then the letter comes. 

Trisha looks down at it, the sense of dread spreading from her head to her toe. It’s from the Earth Kingdom military and she knows– just  _ knows  _ that it’s not good news. She opens and reads, and she’s right. 

The only friends she had left in this world are dead. She had Olivier, and then Theo, and then the Rockbells. 

Winry’s parents are dead. 

She’s not sure she can tell another child their parent is no longer there for them; she’s already done it for her boys once already. 

But she does it again because she is Trisha Elric and the world  _ trembles  _ at her love for her children. She goes to the healing hut and pulls Winry from her work because she cares about her as if she were her own. She tells Winry with love in her eyes and lets her sob on her shoulder because this is the spawn of her best friends and she will  _ never  _ let this child down. 

Winry Rockbell is an orphan, but she will always have a family with Trisha Elric and her boys. 

. . .

A year later, the fire nation attacks. 

The ashes fall from the sky and the children think it’s black snow, but Al knows better. He has heard the stories from the people that escaped the massacre of the Southern Water Tribe. He knows what the ashes are, what they mean. 

Alphonse Elric is 14 years old and he already knows what war looks like. 

“What do we do?” Winry asks as she looks over the city. 

“You already know the answer to that, Win,” Al says. 

“Go to the healing huts,” his mother tells Winry. “Tell them to prepare their supplies and get ready for the injured.” 

Winry nods. “Okay,” she says weakly. “I love you idiots,” she says to Ed and Al before turning to their mom. “I love you too, Ms. Trisha. Thank you so much.” 

“Oh, come here, you three. No goodbyes, children,” she hugs all of them tight and says, “I’ll see you three later. Now, go, Winry.” 

The younger girl nods and runs to the healing hut. 

“Ed, Al, I don’t want to ask this of you, but–” 

“We know, mom,” Al says, because he’s always been smart. This is a war; children are never spared of the bloodshed. 

“Okay,” she says quietly. “I’ll be right there out there, too, helping you fight.” 

“We’re Elrics,” Ed says. “We can do anything together.” 

So they fight. 

(At what cost?)

. . .

Ed has never seen somebody die before. He’s 15 years young and he’s never seen brown hair be marred by blood, burn scars make a face unrecognizable, or warm eyes go cold. 

Ed’s never seen somebody die before, but he knows without a doubt his mother is dead. 

“No,” he whispers. “Mom, mom, mom.” He drops to his knees, war waging around him and for once he doesn’t care that people are getting hurt, his mom is dead  _ his mom is dead–  _

“ED!” he hears a familiar voice scream and it’s Al, of course it’s Al, it’s always Al– 

By the time Ed turns around, Al is on the ground. 

The burn covers his entire face. The fire is still dancing along his skin. 

Ed– 

screams. 

. . .

He doesn’t remember much of what happens next. 

There’s fire, and rage, and people he’s never seen before but he knows them,  _ he knows them–  _

And then there’s a cool hand on his face and he hears Winry saying, “It’ll be okay, Ed, we’ve got each other, Al’s okay, calm down, it’s over,  _ it’ll be okay _ .”

. . .

Ed groans the moment he wakes up. Then, he remembers. And he sits up faster than he ever has and– there’s something on his arm and his leg– 

“Edward,” a voice says and Ed looks up to find Malin. He scrambles out of the cot. 

“What happened? Is Al okay? Winry? My mom– is she– ?”

Malin’s eyes soften. “I’m sorry. Trisha is dead.” Ed lets out a choked sob and he notices Nakia, who moves forward to hug him. He doesn’t move,  _ can’t  _ move. “Alphonse is alright, but he’s been asleep for many days, just like you. Winry is okay, too.”

“I need to see him,” Ed says. “I need to see him.” 

“Okay,” Nakia says, holding him up. “Let’s go see him.” 

. . .

Ed collapses on the chair next to Alphonse’s cot and looks at his brother. He looks so young, sleeping, but so old with that burn scar.

It mars his entire face. He’s recognizable, but this isn’t– this isn’t  _ fair.  _

He looks down at his own arm and leg, bandaged. He doesn’t need to lift the bandaging to know what’s under there. 

“Ed,” Malin says, sitting next to him. “You’re the Avatar.” 

“No I’m  _ not,”  _ Ed fires back, lip curling. “I’m a fucking  _ kid _ whose mother just died.”

“You should be learning the other elements–”

“FUCK THE OTHER ELEMENTS!” Ed screams in his face. His voice is scratchy, but it gets the point out. “My mother is dead and my brother is missing his face.  _ Fuck  _ the other elements, and being the Avatar, and all this other bullshit I never even signed up for in the first place!” 

“Ed, you need to–” 

“No I fucking don’t,” Ed hisses. “I am going to stay here because chances are the Fire Nation saw me and now everybody here is about to be fucked over by them because they want to get their fucking hands on the Avatar, so you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to stay here and protect this goddamned Water Tribe because  _ fuck you,  _ that’s why.” 

“You can’t–”

“Fuck off, Malin,” Nakia says plainly. Malin’s jaw drops at his wife’s glare and Ed would laugh if he were capable of feeling anything other than anger and grief. “Give the boy a moment. Leave.” 

She points to the door of the hut and he chokes on his words before leaving the room with his tail between his legs. 

Wordlessly, Nakia sits on her knees in front of Ed. She pulls him into a hug before separating and beginning to unwrap the bandage around his arm. 

“The burns were bad,” she says clinically. “Do they hurt?” 

“No,” Ed says and then he thinks,  _ that’s weird. Shouldn’t they hurt?  _

“It probably destroyed your nerve endings. They can regrow, and we have a treatment for it, but the sensation in your arm will never be the same again.” 

“Is Al– ?” 

“Compared to yours, his burns were relatively mild. He’ll be in a lot of pain when he wakes up, but at least he’ll be able to feel.” 

“What even happened? How did he get burned? I remember him screaming my name and then… I don’t know. I saw him.”

Nakia gazes at him for a moment. “Winry brought you into the healing hut, after. She said that you had been looking over your mother’s body. A man had gone up to you and bent fire towards you, but Alphonse got in the way. They said he brought the ground up from the ocean to protect you. After that, you went into the Avatar State.” 

“The Avatar State…?”

Nakia pauses for a moment. “Malin told you I used to be friends with Olivier Armstrong, yes?” 

“Uh, yeah.”

“She never liked Malin, but she and I– we got along very well. I was there when she first found out she was the Avatar, and I was there for her every step of the way after that. One day, a group of Earthbenders attempted to steal the spirit of the moon and sun. I had been meditating with her when it happened, and I’ve never seen something so terrifying as the moment she opened her eyes and they were a beacon of shining light. 

“She was using all four elements, which was odd because she’d only learned two at the time. When I asked her about it later, she said she had seen the previous Avatars and had spoken to them.” 

“The previous Avatars…” Ed blinks. “That’s who they were.”

Nakia smiles. “Yes. When you go into the Avatar State, you tap into your past lives. They help you to be your strongest.” 

“Oh,” Ed says. 

Nakia nods. “Stay here with your brother, I will bring you food and Winry.” 

. . .

By the time Winry comes in, dirty and tired from days of helping the Waterbenders, Al is awake. She lets out a happy exclamation at the sight of him and rushes forward for a hug, avoiding his face and the bandages he wears. 

There are no words to say, so she just hugs him and he hugs back. Eventually, Ed joins. 

They’re Elrics. Everything they do, they do together. 

. . .

Three years later, and the Fire Nation still has not let up. The Northern Water Tribe has barely any Waterbenders left. They’re losing men, women, and children alike. 

“Ed,” Malin says, “You need to leave. Agna Qel’a is already doomed but the rest of the world can use your help.” 

“I can’t leave you to die,” Ed says. 

“You won’t. You will take a boat with the sick, elderly, women, and children and keep them safe. The rest of us will fight, or die trying.” 

“I can’t leave you to die!”

“Edward, this is the only way they will live. They need to go to the South Pole.”

“I can’t just–”

“Yes, you can, and you know it’s what you need to do.”

Nakia finally speaks up to say, “Sometimes the best decision a leader can make is a tactical retreat. We need to cut our losses, Ed, and the Chief has already decided this will be the plan.” Her eyes soften as she says, “There’s nothing more that you can do.”

“What about you?” Ed says, his voice wrecked. He doesn’t say what’s already unspoken:  _ what about you, the only family I have left other than Al?  _

“We love you, Edward. You and Al have grown into such wonderful young men.” Nakia’s voice is soft spoken and kind. “But we have lived so long without our only daughter and I’ve lived my entire life in the North Pole. I can’t imagine where I’d be without it. We are staying and fighting.” 

Ed chokes on his breath and his grandmother rushes forward to crush him in a surprisingly strong hug. 

“You are the son of my daughter,” she whispers. “You will be my family in life and death, in sickness and poverty, in love and sacrifice.” She steps back and brushes a wrinkled thumb over his cheek. “And no matter what, Edward Elric, we will always be there for you. I’ll be damned if I let death get in the way of loving my grandson.” 

Behind them, Malin clears his throat. Nakia turns around to raise her eyebrow at him. 

“What she said.” 

Nakia snorts. “Damn straight.”

. . .

“Ed,” Al says, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder as they look over the broken ice. “It’ll be okay.”

“No it won’t. We’re leaving people behind to die, Alphonse.” 

“And we’re saving all these people.”

“It’s my fault they were attacked in the first place.”

“If it had been your fault, you would be Fire Lord Bradley.” 

“I never should have–”

“You were a kid. There’s nothing you could have done.” Al’s voice softens as he continues, “Not for mom, and not for them.” 

Ed sighs and looks back at the sea, at the other Water Tribe boats following in their wake. 

“I hope we can make it.” 

“We will,” Al says, his eyes fierce and determined, even though the scarred burns on his face speak to just how much damage the fire nation can do. Ed loves his brother at such an unquantifiable level that he can’t even dictate how much his brother’s steadfast personality means to him. “Even if we can’t make it to the Southern Water Tribe, the Air Nation would be willing to protect these people. We’ve got a plan, Ed, and we’ve got each other.” 

“Yeah,” Ed whispers, thinking of his grandparents being burned alive, wondering if it will hurt as much as it did when mom died, wondering if their screams will be as loud, their faces as unrecognizable.  “We’ve got each other.” 

. . .

It happens on the third day of their journey. 

The lookouts sound the alarm and the people capable of fighting scramble into position. 

“What the hell is happening?” Winry asks as she arms herself with a random wrench and stands in front of the door to the lower decks of the boat, where they’re keeping the sick and ill. 

“The Fire Nation,” a breathless teenager says as she runs down the stairs and pulls out a knife. “There’s almost ten ships surrounding us. I would prepare to be boarded if I were you.” 

“Shit,” Winry hisses under her breath. She points at the teenager. “Get anyone that they can spare to protect the patients at all cost.” After she gets a nod and affirmative, she opens the door to the makeshift sick bay and yells, “Secure the patients! The Fire Nation is attacking; it might get rough!” 

Then she goes back outside the door to protect them, wondering if she’s going to die trying. 

. . .

The explosions seem to last for hours, until finally,  _ finally,  _ the shaking and the booms stop their endless tirade. 

Winry doesn’t let herself breathe out a sigh of relief. She doesn’t let herself hope. 

She’s right not to. 

A young boy runs down the stairs and practically yells at her, “The Elric Brothers, Miss. Rockbell! Commander Catherine said that you should be informed– the Elric Brothers defeated the Fire Nation together, all ten ships, but-” the boy stutters on this, obviously not accustomed to giving bad news. He’s got the basics down, though. Winry can see it in his eyes and his posture. She can recognize it from when her parents told her she had to leave and when Trisha Elric told her they were dead. 

“But they’re dead,” she says softly. 

The boy nods, and now Winry sees the tear tracks down his face. He lost a hero today, his shining beacon of hope in this mess. Winry can’t help but think  _ if the Fire Nation took the Avatar, then they could take everything.  _

“Ed was knocked out and Al fell in the water with him.” The boy hiccups and has to try a few more times before stuttering out, “They were both injured at the time. We’re searching for them, but we’ve found nothing so far.” 

Winry puts her hand on her mouth and, for the first time in months, she cries. 

It’s over.

It’s over, and she’s alone. No parents, no Trisha, no Elrics. 

Winry is alone for the first time in her life, and she’s fucking terrified. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I suppose the clothes and Earthbending at the same time are suspicious,” Mustang says. He looks over Ed’s traditional water tribe clothes then looks to Al. “I promise I won’t kill you if you’re the Avatar,” he tries. 
> 
> Ed scoffs. “Are you stupid? Why the hell should I believe you?” 
> 
> “Maybe because I haven’t killed you yet and standing orders are to kill all Earthbenders on sight,” Mustang shoots back. 
> 
> “Oh gee, that’s promising.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive fully planned out this fic and let me tell you, yall finna cry
> 
> ANYWAYS this chapter bad but it's mostly just progressing plot so have fun

When Ed comes to, everything is blurry and bright all at once. There are shapes that are moving and he feels a finger check for his pulse, but otherwise, he’s barely aware– he can’t even take note of the fact that his brother is beside him. 

When he does realize, though, he snaps awake and gasps. “What the fuck?” Are the first words out of the 18 year old’s mouth, as per Edward Elric rules. The second words are, predictably, “Where’s Al?” 

The man that had been checking for his pulse blinks at him and raises a finger to point at Al, who lies next to Ed and is currently coughing up some water. 

The man eyes Ed wearily. Ed takes note of his Fire Nation uniform but doesn’t react. “I just melted you out of an ice block,” he says dumbly. 

Ed ignores him and crawls over to his brother, ignoring the sirens in his head screaming  _ you should probably take yourself and your brother far away from the firebender.  _

“Cool,” he responds. “Al, you feeling okay?” 

“I’m fine,” his baby brother says and Ed lets the grin spread across his face. His voice is a little scratchy, but otherwise, he sounds fine. 

“I just melted you out of an ice block,” the dumbass with the fire nation uniform says. 

“Yes, you did, thank you for that.” Al asks politely, standing up and pulling Ed with him. “Oh, would you happen to know where we are?” he asks. Ed looks around to see– well, mostly the ocean, but then a beach and trees beyond. They could be in the Earth Nation, but they could also be in the Fire Nation. Ed has heard that it doesn’t look all that different. 

“The Earth Nation, just East of the Northern Airbending Temple,” the Fire Nation dimwit responds, but he still looks kinda stupid. Ed continues to ignore it for the sake of… well, figuring out what the hell is happening.

“Huh,” Ed says. “How did we get to the Earth Nation?” 

“Currents?” Al says doubtfully. 

“ _ Block of ice,”  _ firebending idiot repeats. 

“More like a sphere, actually,” a second firebending idiot which Ed hadn’t even noticed before says. 

“You’re missing the point, Falman!” The first one says and Ed blinks. 

“Hey so,” he asks, “how long have I been in that ice?” 

“Brother,” Al says, “they don’t know.”

“You’re right, let’s go find an Earthbender. Thanks for breaking the ice, guys, we gotta go now!!” 

“You won’t find any Earthbenders,” the second firebending idiot, Falman, says. Ed turns to him and raises an eyebrow, his cheeriness melting away into a scowl. 

“Why?” 

“Because the fire nation wiped most of them out in the war,” Falman answers, his face confused. “How long  _ have  _ you been in that ice? Is that even possible? How are you alive?” 

“Those are all great questions,” Ed mumbles. 

Al sighs. “How much of the Fire Nation military is stationed near here?” he asks and the first Firebending idiot’s eyebrow raises. 

“Where have you been the past fifteen years?” 

“Breda, your math is wrong. The war has been going for thirteen years,” Falman corrects. 

Ed’s brow furrows. “Thirteen years. The war started when I was ten, eight years later we got– um, iced. So I’ve been on ice for five years?” 

“I guess?” Breda says. “Is that possible?’

“Who knows, maybe I’ve just been comatose. Maybe the ice was really just spirit energy or some shit.” Breda’s eyes narrow.

“ _ Ed, _ ” Al chastises in that  _ you’re being stupid, brother  _ tone of his. “We need to get out of here,  _ now. _ ”

“Falman, go get Mustang,” Breda orders and the other man nods before making a run into the trees. 

“Yep, time to go,” Ed decides. They make a run for it, away from where Falman disappeared into the trees. 

Ed only hopes they don’t run into whatever Fire Nation camp they have set up. 

. . .

They run straight into the camp. 

“You were surrounded by us,” Breda points out, “you would have run straight into the camp no matter what.” Ed scowls and casts a disparaging glance at the tent they have him tied up in. 

“Why are we here, anyway?” 

“We had to melt you out of ice. Ice that you said you’ve been in for five years.”

“I’m not seeing any legal reasons to detain me here,” Ed responds, glaring at the redhead.

Breda sighs. “Well, first I had to make sure Falman and I weren’t on the cactus juice. Hence calling my superior.” 

“That’s fair,” Al agrees and Ed shoots him a glare. 

“Don’t agree!” 

“Second of all, you’re two weirdos who were in ice for five years and you’re wearing water tribe clothing. You’re either a shitty actor or the Avatar.” 

“That’s–” Al opens his mouth to say what Ed is sure is along the lines of  _ also fair,  _ but he stops himself when Falman and another man walk into the tent. New Guy is in full uniform minus the shitty helmet, revealing only sharp, dark eyes and messily styled black hair.

Falman clears his throat and says to New Guy, “Colonel Mustang, these are the guys we found in the ice.” 

“You think one of these little kids is the Avatar?” New Guy/Mustang asks skeptically, looking between Ed and Al. 

“Oh dear,” Ed hears Al say before his brain registers _little_ _kid_ and the casual skepticism thrown at the idea of him being the Avatar. 

“Who are you calling little?” Ed growls, “You dumbass, homicidal, firebending freaks–” He grunts as he wrestles the ropes tied around his wrists. “Fuck!” he curses when his wrestling fails to free him. Instead, he stomps his foot into the ground to Earthbend a tower of rock that knocks Mustang on his ass in two seconds flat. 

It’s satisfying to watch. 

Everyone observes in silence as Mustang stands back up and wipes the dirt off his ass. Breda snickers then covers it behind a cough. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope the polite one is the Avatar,” he comments dryly. 

“I suppose the clothes and Earthbending at the same time are suspicious,” Mustang says. He looks over Ed’s traditional water tribe clothes then looks to Al. “I promise I won’t kill you if you’re the Avatar,” he tries. 

Ed scoffs. “Are you stupid? Why the hell should I believe you?” 

“Maybe because I haven’t killed you yet and standing orders are to kill all Earthbenders on sight,” Mustang shoots back. 

“Oh gee,  _ that’s  _ promising.” 

“Avatar or not,” Breda says, “he’s an Earthbender. Our top priority is getting him as far away from Ba Sing Se as is possible. The Fire Colony there would burn him and his brother alive.” 

“Yes, except Hakuro is coming tonight. If he finds out we have an Earthbender, he’ll kill both of them himself.” 

“So what do we do, sir?” 

“May I suggest letting us go?” Al asks. 

Breda shrugs. “Kid’s got a point.” 

Mustang scowls. “No, because if he’s the Avatar, we need his help.” 

“Hold up, why would the Avatar help the Fire Nation?” Ed asks. “I’m just– hypothetically, that’s kind of like asking a rabbit to help a fox. Also, Earthbender. Didn’t you just say earlier you killed most other Earthbenders?” 

“That kid’s got a point, too.” 

Mustang scowls. “Because I want to kill the Fire Lord. Avatar or not, are you going to help me?” 

Ed blinks. “I’m sorry, you want to  _ what _ ?”

. . .

There has to be a limit to the amount of absolute bullshit Ed has to do to survive. But no,  _ no, _ the universe just keeps spitting stupid situations at him and  _ now  _ he’s standing in a spiky Fire Nation Uniform because  _ why not?  _

“I hate this,” Ed mumbles through the stuffy helmet. “It’s stupid. What kind of idiots thought armor was a good idea? It restricts movement.” 

“Probably the same idiots that kept getting shot by arrows and getting rocks pegged at their faces, brother,” Al sighs, ever the long-suffering brother. 

“What about guns? Bullets? Pretty sure  _ they  _ can penetrate armor,” Ed huffs and crosses his arms. 

“The only people that use guns are the Fire Nation, and even then they’re rare.” 

“Just be quiet. Don’t talk to Hakuro and don’t leave this post,” Breda tells them, straightening the strap on Al’s chest plate. 

“You be quiet,” Ed retorts. “Why are we doing this again?”

“So these nice firebenders can take us someplace safe, brother.”

“Okay, but why should we trust them?”

“It’s your only choice,” Breda tells them. “Us or Hakuro, and he would sooner burn you alive.”

Al sighs. “Just do as they say.” Ed grunts, readjusting the armor.

“Fine,” he says. Breda steps back, gives their armor once last lookover, then nods and walks over to where Mustang, a blonde woman, and Falman stand discussing something. 

“I don’t like this, Al,” Ed whispers. “They’re firebenders.”

“I know. We have to play their game for now, though, you know that.” 

Their conversation is broken by Mustang calling, “General Hakuro, Lt. Col Archer.” Ed’s head snaps over to where they’re standing and he sees a tall blonde man standing next to another man that’s just as tall, but has dark hair and the freakiest blue eyes Ed has ever seen. They’re both wearing the same uniform Mustang is, the black cape outlined in red with the Fire Nation symbol connecting the two sides in the front. The rest of the admittedly small entourage wears the same uniform Ed and Al wear.

“Colonel Mustang,” Hakuro says, his voice dripping with something that can only be spite, “It’s nice to see you.” 

“Likewise,” Mustang responds. He doesn’t sound very sincere. 

“I heard something washed up on the shore. Anything I need to know about?”

“Just a stray merchant. We sent him on his way to Ba Sing Se.”

_ Holy shit,  _ Ed thinks,  _ this is like watching an undercover verbal game of “Fuck you,” “No, fuck you!” _

“Ah. In that case, would you mind if we spent a few minutes in this tent?” Hakuro gestures his thumb toward the tent Ed and Al had been held in earlier and were currently standing in front of. “My men would probably appreciate a few minutes out of the sun and their uniforms.” 

“Of course,” Mustang says. There’s no reluctance on his face or his voice, but Ed knows better. This is suspicious. Ed narrows his eyes at Hakuro through the helmet. How the hell could he possibly know? 

A few of Hakuro’s men step forward into the tent, including Archer. Ed steps out of their way at the same time as Al. The boys exchange a nervous glance. 

“What are these two doing standing in front of the tent?” he hears Hakuro ask as he steps towards them. Ed looks at Mustang, who gives a barely-there shake of his head. 

“They just got back from patrol,” Mustang says, walking forward next to Hakuro. Hakuro stops in front of them and smiles. 

“Infantrymen, you must be firebenders,” Hakuro says. When Ed and Al don’t respond, he asks, “Don’t be shy, now. You’re firebenders, right?”

“General–” Mustang starts, but Hakuro waves him off. 

“Yes, sir,” Al lies. 

“Would you mind demonstrating?”

Ed frowns. This is downright freaky– how the hell could this man possibly know–? 

“Sir,” Ed says hesitantly, “I’m not all that great–”

“Oh, I’m sure you can muster up a tiny flame.” Hakuro smirks and Ed resists the urge to shiver. 

He holds his palm out, unsure of what to really do. He’s never bothered playing with fire before, he had water and earth and that was all he ever needed. But some instinctual part of him whispers,  _ let it be free _ and he stares in fascination as a small fire ignites in the palm of his hand. He douses the fire just as fast as he ignited it, looking up at Mustang. 

His face is completely blank, but Ed knows he just outed himself as the Avatar.

“Ah, wonderful,” Hakuro says, “thank you. What about you?”

Al looks at Ed nervously. Ed shakes his head. He wishes he could help his brother, but he could barely control the fire in his own palm, much less Al’s. He’s afraid he would burn him. 

“General,” Mustang says sharply, “I’m sure this isn’t necessary.”

“It’s necessary if I say it is,” Hakuro says casually and Ed nearly shivers again at the undertone of danger to his voice. “Remember your place, Colonel.”

Ed sees Mustang’s jaw clench for a few seconds before he smooths his face back out into a blank stare again. “Yes, sir,” he says.

“Now,” Hakuro says, “would you mind summoning a bit of flame for me?”

One of Hakuro’s men step out of the tent and Ed breathes a sigh of relief. Saved by the bell. 

“Sir, we found this,” he says, holding up Ed’s old water nation clothes. “There’s two sets.”

_ Shit.  _

Hakuro looks at Al and sneers. “You’re no firebender, and neither is your friend here.”

The camp erupts into chaos. 

“Hawkeye!” Ed hears Mustang shout, but he’s too busy focusing on Hakuro, whose arm is stretched towards Al. 

“Oh, hell no!” Ed yells, and without thinking, he bends the Earth to knock Hakuro on his ass and wrap the ground around him, effectively trapping him. More men file out of the tent at the sounds and Al takes care of some of them using his Earthbending. Hakuro stares at Ed, his eyes wide. 

“So I was right,” he says. “You’re the Avatar.” 

“And you’re a fucking  _ dick,”  _ Ed spits. He moves forward to knock him out but then feels a blast of heat behind his head. 

He turns around to find Al behind held with a knife to his throat by Archer. “Take another step,” Archer says, “and I’ll slit his throat.”

Al scowls in a way that reminds Ed of himself and says, “No, you won’t.” Ed flinches when he hears a gunshot go off. Next thing he knows, Archer’s knife drops to the floor and he’s screaming. Ed takes his helmet off and looks at Al, who does the same but looks behind Ed.

“Sorry, sir,” Ed turns to the blonde woman from earlier, who is holding the gun and saying, “I didn’t have a clear shot, so I went for the hand instead of the head.”

“Quite alright,” Mustang responds and Ed barely has time to think  _ what the fuck is wrong with these people?  _ Before he grabs Ed and Al by the arms and drags them away from the camp. “Breda, Falman, Hawkeye, grab as many supplies as you can and meet at the rendevous. He’ll have backup; it’s best if we leave now rather than later.” 

“You’re a fucking traitor, Mustang!” Hakuro yells as they leave the camp. “Everybody has always known it, you coward!”

“Spread the word, Hakuro!” Mustang calls back, practically laughing. Ed worries for his sanity.

“Are you insane?” Ed asks. “Where are we going?”

“A rendezvous point,” Roy says, letting go of both of their arms. “It will be safe.”

“How did he know we were there?” Al asks. 

“A spy, probably. He has suspected me for months, I’m not altogether surprised it went down like this.”

“Suspected you?” Ed frowns. “Of what?”

Roy looks down at the Avatar, a twinkle in his eye. “I run an underground system that smuggles Earthbenders to the Southern Water Tribe.”

“...And you’re in the Fire Nation army?” 

“Yes.”

“Did that  _ seem  _ like a good idea to you?”

“Very much so, yes.”

“Oh my god,” Ed says, grinning, “you’re a maniac.”

. . .

When they arrive at the rendezvous point, which ends up being a sleepy town further North full of Earth Kingdom citizens that greet Mustang by his first name, they rest for the first time in hours and Ed manages to pry some answers out of Mustang. 

“Why are you helping us?” Ed asks, watching as he lights up a fire in the fireplace of the inn they’re staying at. 

“You’re the Avatar,” Mustang responds, staring at the fire as it flickers. “If anyone could defeat Fire Lord Bradley, it would be you.”

“That again. Why do you want to kill the Fire Lord?”

Roy sighs. “So he’ll stop killing everybody.”

“That’s it?” Ed frowns. 

“I also want to usurp him, but yes. That’s it.”

Ed thinks there’s more to the story, but he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he asks, “Where are we going next?”

Roy stands up and walks over to his uniform robes, which he had shed earlier in favor of some non-descript Earth Nation clothes. Ed would never say it out loud– he can barely admit it to himself now– but the man looks  _ wonderful  _ in civilian clothing. He pulls something out of his pocket and then spreads it out on the table in front of Ed. 

It’s a map. Roy points to a spot barely Northeast of Ba Sing Se and says, “That’s where we are. From here, we’re going to head to the Northern Air Temple–” he slides his finger across the page as he continues, “– so that we can find you an Airbending teacher.”

“How do you know I haven’t already learned airbending?” Ed huffs.

“Have you?”

“No.”

“There you have it.” 

. . .

Later that night, after the rest of Mustang’s team arrived at the inn and they’ve settled themselves into their own rooms, Ed tosses and turns in bed. 

“What’s wrong, Ed?” Al finally asks tiredly. 

“Sorry, was I keeping you awake?” 

“You’re fine. What’s wrong?” Ed blinks at the darkness surrounding him then sighs and sits up in bed. He runs his hand through his hair nervously.

“It’s just– this Mustang guy. He says he’s gonna help, that we’re gonna fight the Fire Lord and all this stuff, but…” Ed lowers his voice to a whisper. “Are we sure we can trust him?”

For a long moment, the only response is the darkness that swims across Ed’s vision like a fog. Finally, he hears Al say softly, “I think he says he can help us, and I would rather be taking his help and keeping busy than wondering what happened to Winry and the others.”

Ed doesn’t say  _ Winry’s alive, I know she is. She’s too stubborn to die.  _ He doesn’t say  _ We saved them, Al, when we sunk those ships.  _ He doesn’t say  _ Everything is going to be okay  _ because he’s only eighteen and his mother is dead and his brother has a burn scar that covers his entire face. 

He doesn’t bother with the platitudes because none of them are true. 

It’s likely that Winry died with most of the Northern Water Tribe when Ed got frozen in ice. It’s likely that Nakia and Malin are dead, and have been for years. It’s likely that there’s no home left for them, so all they can do is try to defend what little of their world that hasn’t been taken by the Fire Nation.

And it’s very, very true that Ed and Al have no choice but to trust Mustang. 


End file.
